Hold On
by JasperRosalieWhitlock
Summary: From different worlds, Seth & Bree find each other despite the dire consequences that'll ensue if they continue their affair. Will his past & her sheltered life find a love that lasts, or will family secrets destroy it?
1. Chapter One: Prologue

**Chapter One**

 **Prologue**

He sat on the edge of the bed in the hotel room and held the envelope he found on her pillow in his hand. He ran his thumb across the _Seth_ written in her soft handwriting, and he began to feel sick to his stomach. Last night had been the best night of his life-one he would never forget. That reason alone kept him from opening the letter. Seth closed his eyes and could still feel her touch on his skin. His body began to ache, and he stared at the envelope, scared of what he might read. He knew as soon as he read its contents, his descent into a living hell would begin.

~o~

Slowly going to repost this . . . To those readers, I say, "Buckle up, Buttercup."


	2. Chapter Two: What Was I Thinking?

**Chapter** **Two**

 **What Was I Thinking?**

"They're off limits. Their mommas and daddies didn't send them to this expensive, private college for them to come home with the likes of you. No touching," Collin, the forty-something supervisor, told Seth on his first day on the job. The no touching policy wasn't an official rule, but Collin had learned the hard way that fooling around with the students was bad news. No one in the shop knew the story, but the name Emily was never to be mentioned. But most of all, he didn't like for the guys he employed to break his rules.

Seth enjoyed working with his hands, which made this job perfect for him. He worked on the grounds crew, who kept up with the yard work around the school. He also helped repair anything that needed to be fixed. It was a trait that just came naturally to him. Seth was a quick study, and it made Collin glad he took a chance on the kid. Seth never complained about the job: good benefits, better hours, and the best environment. He even got to work with Jared, who helped him get the job in the first place. It didn't hurt that all three hailed from the same reservation.

He heeded Collin's warning for an entire year. He made sure he only dated girls from the reservation; it made things easier that way. However, the problem with his system was that there were only so many girls available, and he really didn't click with any of them. Up until now, Seth's life had been mostly about his father, his buddies at the reservation, and his job. Girls just weren't a big deal to him.

At work, he made sure he kept a safe distance from the students. Even though girls weren't his priority, he still enjoyed the view he had when he mowed the grounds by the female dorms. He made sure he did nothing more than smile politely at the passing girls who often stared a little too long at him. Needing the job to help out around the house, Seth followed the rules to a "T" at work. Luckily, no one had ever really caught his eye.

No one had made him look twice until she entered the maintenance building on that fateful day.

She came with a small group of girls who were rushing for one of the sororities on campus. Apparently their big sisters—like any of the crew cared or knew what that meant—were making them volunteer for trash duty. Looking mortified, the young ladies wearing their matching sorority attire approached the shabby maintenance building that rested hidden behind the football field.

"Hi! We're from Delta Delta, and we have to, like, pick up trash in the broad daylight," a blonde said to Jared. He looked up from his duties and smiled at the good-looking girl standing in front of him. Jared always had girls on his mind, and he couldn't understand why Seth didn't think the same way. The blonde girl looked at the tall, handsome boy in front of her and started to play with the ends of her hair.

"It's so embarrassing," another blonde complained to her friends.

"Yea, we, um, need the supplies for trash duty. We were told you would have them," the only brunette in the bunch said, rocking back and forth on her feet.

One of the blondes mouthed the words, "He's so hot!" to her friends while motioning to Jared. The three girls giggled together. They had a secret code the guys had no way of deciphering. To Seth, the girls who entered the maintenance building were like most of the others on campus—too unnaturally tan, too made up, and too fake. Seth knew that the only interest these girls would have in guys like Jared and himself would be a quick fling and a fast roll in the hay. Seth didn't like the idea of sleeping with any random girl just to put a notch on his bedpost; Jared, on the other hand, would screw any girl who acted remotely interested.

Jared didn't have to worry about Collin's policy because his conquests never went past the first date, or the first lay. Seth knew that he didn't need to bother with any of the girls here. He wanted a lasting relationship, so that ruled out anyone at this school.

He was just about to get the items the girls needed when he saw her—the one that caused him to drop the wrench on his toe. She had been hidden behind the three that were hovering around Jared. She didn't fit the stereotype he held in his head of the typical sorority girl. He watched, dumbfounded, as the same girl pulled a rubber band off her delicate wrist and tied her long, chocolate curls into a ponytail. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever witnessed a girl do, and that made him forget what the hell he was doing.

This girl said nothing as she waited patiently behind the others.

"Hey, Clearwater!" he heard Jared say. "What's the matter with you? Go get the orange vests and trash sticks for the pretty ladies." He walked over to Seth. "And put your eyes back in your head, for God's sake, will ya'?"

"You're one to talk, horn dog," Seth said back to Jared in his best smart-ass tone.

He stopped what he was doing to go find the supplies. Shit! he thought as he tried to walk after smashing his toe. That's going to leave a mark. He tried to keep his focus on finding the items for the girls, but he kept her in his peripheral vision. Oblivious to the gawking stares of the other girls, he made his way to the storage room at the back of the building.

"It's so smelly back here. How do you stand it?" one of the blondes asked Seth as they walked. The nasally tone of her voice unnerved him, and he tried not to let it show.

"Lucy, that's kind of rude," the brunette whispered and was met with glaring eyes from her friend.

"Would you just shut up, Maria?" she taunted, and with a wave of her hand, she focused her attention back on Seth.

"Uh, I guess you just get used to it. I'm outside most of the time anyway," he answered politely, not wanting to get in the middle of their bickering.

He found the box that the girls would need and handed it to the one who sounded like she hailed from Lower Texas. She stared up at Seth, who towered over her with his six foot seven frame, her admiring eyes raking across his body slowly. "Wow, like, you're kind of cute," she said coyly and flipped her blonde extensions over her shoulder.

Seth blushed as much as his russet skin would allow, but he let go of the box as soon as the girl had it in her grip. He ignored her lingering stare, and she sensed the snub. He didn't seem to pick up on the advances of this girl. Bothered that he didn't notice her, she started barking out orders.

"Okay, ladies, let's go be humiliated in front of, like, everyone," the Texan, Lucy said.

Then the girl who he couldn't take his eyes off of glanced his way, which, in turn, caused him to lose all sanity. She never said a word, but he was smitten immediately after one look from her brown eyes. She smiled a shy smile at him, took her trash supplies, and left the building. He stared at her until she was out of sight. The memory of her smile and the short shorts, which exposed her perfect legs, were seared into his brain.

"Don't tell me one of those sorority girls is the future Mrs. Clearwater," Jared joked.

"Shut up, dude. It's not like that. Besides, you're the one with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Just for saying that, you're so dead," Seth hollered at Jared. The bigger one tried to hide from Seth, but it didn't last long. He was thrown in a tight head lock by the smaller one, and his grip only relented when Jared acknowledged Seth as Supreme Motorcycle God.

For the rest of the afternoon, Seth's thoughts went back to the Chocolate-haired girl who had graced him with her presence. He had trouble focusing on the weed-eating that he was doing around a few of the buildings. He even found himself watching the passing people, hoping he could catch another glimpse of her. He would not be the same knowing that she would be walking around the campus where he worked… and knowing that she was off-limits. He would always want what he couldn't have.

~o~O~o~

"The alternator is out on the university's work truck again, Seth. I don't know what the hell to do with it," Collin said on a warm Friday morning. To Seth, Collin almost felt like a second father, and Seth reminded Collin of himself twenty years ago. He hoped Seth would be smarter than he had been.

"I can take a look at it. I was supposed to mow the practice fields today, though," Seth said. He hadn't met a vehicle he couldn't fix yet. When he was younger, his father taught him that a car was like a woman. Take care of it, and it will treat you right. If you drive it too hard and neglect the maintenance on it, it'll leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. He often wondered how motorcycles fit into his father's philosophy. Seth had always liked the possibility of danger.

"I'll get Jared to mow them for you. It's saved our department a lot of money having you around to fix these problems. Helps me keep my job, and it helps me keep you two fools employed. That's good news for me." Collin gave Seth a hard time, but he liked the kid because he never gave him any trouble.

"No problem, Collin. I'll get a look at it right now," he said and headed off to spend the day under the hood of a truck.

Seth spent the morning trying to diagnose the problem of the truck. He figured it was just the alternator, but he wasn't sure. He always took his time fixing the engines, wanting to make sure he did everything right. Seth could feel the afternoon heat emanate throughout the building. It had no air conditioning, so the large garage doors were open most of the time. There was barely a breeze today, and it made Seth miserable inside the hot building.

I should have taken the mowing job. It would have been a lot cooler than in here, he thought to himself. The shirt that was drenched in sweat fell to floor, and he immediately felt better. He never minded being shirtless. He was proud of his toned body-he'd worked hard to get it. He then rolled himself under the truck to make sure there weren't any other surprise problems with the engine. He heard footsteps and saw a pair of legs he had no problem recognizing. It was her. He felt himself getting nervous, which rarely ever happened to him. He always exuded confidence… until that girl walked in.

"Um, hello?" the delicate voice said. She sounded a little nervous, but he didn't notice because the softness in her tone made him forget where he was. He tried to collect himself before he came out from under the truck. The way he felt right now, he could easily become a blubbering idiot.

"Hey, give me just second," he said. He put down the wrench he was holding, not wanting to repeat his clumsiness from the other day. Then he slowly slid out from under the truck to see the girl who'd completely jumbled up his brain. She was wearing short shorts again with a fitted, red t-shirt. He admired the perfect body that was attached to the most beautiful face. He knew a conversation would be difficult with her when he couldn't even concentrate around her.

"Hi," she said, smiling a nervous smile. He watched her eyes as he picked himself off the floor. Seth had seen girls look at him, so he assumed that he was an attractive guy. He never realized just how attractive he was. The girl's eyes lingered on Seth's chest, which he noticed, and he liked it—a lot. His nervousness eased slightly.

She was holding the box that she and her friends had borrowed the other day. "I came to return these." She met his gaze, and he stared back. He wondered if a girl like her could possibly be interested in a guy like him.

"Thanks," Seth replied and took the box from her, feeling a shock the moment his hand touched hers in the exchange. If he could just keep touching her, he would hold the box forever. He tried not to be an idiot and took it from her. "Where's all your other friends?" he asked, setting the box on the floor.

"Oh, they had other things going on. They delegated the job to me," she said. She didn't sound or act like her friends. The girl in front of him seemed genuine, and that made her even sexier to him. "I wasn't busy," she added.

"You say it like it's a bad thing...um, coming here," Seth pouted. He wanted to find out if she'd come hoping to see him or if she just drew the short straw. He wasn't sure if she felt the same attraction he did.

"No, don't take it the wrong way. I'm not upset at all about coming here. Forgive me if I sounded snobby or anything like that," she answered apologetically.

She wanted him to forgive her, and he laughed to himself. He's the one who needed forgiveness. If she knew the thoughts he had about her lately, she would probably slap him and leave. She didn't look like the kind of girl who would even do the things he had imagined – though he could always hope that looks were deceiving. She had the body of a woman that was hard to ignore. But underneath those curves, he sensed an innocence that both scared him and turned him on at the same time.

"No, I don't care why you're here. It's nice that you are. Usually it's just us guys working. It's nice to have a breath of fresh air in here."

She smiled at his comment, and it made him feel good. If Jared were here, Seth would not hear the end of it. Jared was always quick to 'take away Seth's man-card.' The way he spoke to this girl would certainly get it revoked.

"My friends call me Bree," she said suddenly. She stuck out her hand in the customary way of introducing oneself to someone new.

"I'm Seth. It's really nice to meet you." He took her hand in his and couldn't help but get a thrill from the softness of her skin. He pictured touching more of that skin with his hands, running them up and down her body. Get a grip, Seth! He tried to think of something to talk about, but his brain let him down. He had nothing.

Still speechless, he ran his thumb across hers, and she seemed to reluctantly release her grip. "Well, I guess I need to get going. It was really nice meeting you. Maybe I'll see you around?" she asked. Seth couldn't say anything. He didn't want her to leave, but what in the world would possibly make her stay out here in this hot, smelly building? He obviously wasn't the best conversationalist.

He watched her and her beautiful legs walk out the door. "Nice to meet you, too," he said to her a little too late. He walked to the sink and splashed some cold water on his face.That girl is going to be the end of me,he thought to himself. As he dried his face, he heard her scream. He didn't think twice about what to do and immediately ran towards the sound of the scream, dropping the towel on the floor.

There she was, on the ground, holding her ankle. "I stepped in a stupid hole," she cried. Seth could tell the injury hurt her badly and that she was trying to hold back tears. It didn't work; they came anyway.

"Here, let's get you up. I've got some ice in the garage." Instinctively, he helped her off the ground and gently walked her back into the building. He could easily have carried her in his arms, which he would have enjoyed, but he refrained, not wanting to over do it. He settled for enjoying the way she held on to his arms. He did like the way the contact felt.

Seth sat Bree down on a chair and propped her injured ankle on another one. He got an ice pack from the freezer in the break room.

"Could I be any more clumsy? That hole was huge! Of course, I didn't see it. My coach is going to kill me," she said, opening up to Seth and grabbing her ankle at the same time.

"Your coach? I thought you were in a sorority?" he questioned.

"I run—I mean I ran cross country. Looks like I'll be out for a few weeks. I'm rushing a sorority because I kind of have to," she admitted.

Seth realized her perfect legs were runner's legs, and he'd always liked athletic girls. "Why would you rush if you don't really want to?" he asked, puzzled.

"Oh, family stuff I don't need to bother you about. Talking about my two crazy aunts and legacies gets boring after a while," she answered. He didn't understand what she meant by legacies, but he knew about family duties. He could relate to that part. Most of his paycheck went to take care of his wheelchair-bound father. He would have loved to open his own repair shop, but he didn't have the money to do it. This job was his family duty.

"Which part did you hurt, the inside or outside?"

"Inside. It just buckled underneath me. It made a horrible popping noise," she moaned. She gave an involuntary sniffle brought on by her crying. Seth placed the ice pack on her ankle bone and wrapped a clean towel around it. He sat in the chair across from her and held her small foot in his large hands.

"You might need to see the doctor on campus. It's getting pretty swollen," he told her.

"Ugh, do I have to? How am I going to explain this one?" she asked, pondering the idea in her head.

"I don't know; it's up to you," he answered. He liked seeing her vulnerable; it made him feel useful.

"I'm really so embarrassed that you're here to see this. You don't have to take care of me… unless you want to. I could always call one of my sorority sisters to come and get me."

He grimaced at the idea of Lucy or Maria taking care of her. They would probably want to know what would be in it for them. "No, I don't mind at all. You're in good hands."

Bree put her head in her hands. "Shit! I can't have this happen," she said getting mad at herself. "I have too much going on to be hurt. We're in the middle of rush, and we have a meet this weekend."

"I'm sorry about your meet; I would have liked to see you run. I can take you to the infirmary, but only if you want me to." Seth looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He hated that she hurt herself, but at least it gave him a reason to touch her and be with her longer.

"That would be great." She stared at him, and he didn't want her to stop. "My friend was wrong, you know."

Seth looked at her in confusion. He'd forgotten about Lucy's flirtatious comment on the day they'd met. He rubbed her ankle with his thumb unconsciously.

"You're not cute," she said, clearly a little embarrassed.

"I guess I should say _thanks_?" he answered sarcastically.

"No. You're not cute at all. You're...well, you're sort of beautiful." She broke his gaze. "I can't believe I just said that," she said to herself.

After hearing her words, he gained a little confidence and decided to use it to his advantage. "I think you're absolutely the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." He gazed at her, and she smiled back at him. He was sure she heard his heart pounding.

There had never been a more perfect moment for Seth. Even if it happened in the back of the dirty, smelly garage, he would always remember Bree in this moment. It was then that he knew he was in trouble because he started to think that Collin's rule was made to be broken.

"Seth!" Jared voice reverberated throughout the metal building. "Are you ready for lunch? He stopped yelling when he saw Seth sitting across from the girl who'd made his friend act sprung the past few days. "Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were busy." Jared tried to stifle his laughter, but it didn't work.

Seth knew that Jared had him right where he wanted him. From this point forward, Jared would use Seth's weakness—the girl sitting across from him—against him and show no mercy. He could expect constant kissing noises and inappropriate sexual comments from Jared. But Seth could endure it because he knew that taking care of her was worth it.

"Jared, this is Bree. She just twisted her ankle outside on the pothole you were supposed to fill in yesterday. So, I'm sure she'd like to thank you for her injury." Seth glared at his friend.

"Nice to meet you, Bree. Sorry about the pothole." Jared's arrogance had been taken down a notch.

"No worries. It's nice to meet you, too," she replied as she squinted her eyes in pain.

"Jared, I'm going to take Bree to the infirmary; you'll have to find someone else to eat lunch with you," Seth said. He stood up and gently set Bree's foot on the chair. "I need to go get the Gator."

"And a shirt," yelled Jared. Seth made a mental note to put on a shirt before taking her to the doctor. The infirmary probably wouldn't let him in without it.

"What's a Gator?" she asked. "We can just walk there, can't we?"

"Well, for one, with your ankle so sore, it would take us forever to get there. And two, the Gator is one of man's best machines ever. I can't believe you don't know what it is. I'm driving you to the doctor in it," Seth explained. Getting to borrow the school's equipment for his personal use was another bonus of the job.

"I guess that sounds fine," she said, not exactly sure what to expect.

"Stay put, Seth. I'll go get it and bring it here. You stay here and make out and do whatever you were doing," Jared joked. Seth knew the ragging had begun, though he did like the idea of kissing Bree.

By the time Seth had walked Bree to the front of the building, Jared had made his way to them with the Gator. Jared jumped out. "All right, I'm starving. I'll see you later, Seth. Have fun," he yelled, and Seth thought he had heard some kissing noises.

Seth waved goodbye and helped Bree up to the passenger seat. He made sure that his touches didn't linger too much or rest on the wrong spot. He had to be very careful with her. He had to try and rid his mind of its thoughts of being anywhere near her, touching her, or kissing her. Collin had made it clear. If he cared for his job, Bree would have to be just another girl on campus to him.

They made it to the infirmary and checked her in at the front desk. It took a few minutes for the nurse to make a phone call, get the paperwork processed, and whatever else she had to do. Meanwhile, Seth watched Bree wince intermittently when the pain flared. She attempted to suffer silently, not wanting him to know how badly her injury hurt.

"You okay?" he asked. He sat beside her in the waiting area, making sure he wasn't touching her in any way. In not touching her, Seth became very aware of how much he wanted to.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," she said, trying to act like it didn't bother her.

"Exam room one, please," the nurse finally called.

Seth started to help her down the hall to the room but the nurse stopped him. "Are you family?" she asked.

"No. Just a friend," he answered.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait in the waiting area until she's seen the doctor. Family only. It's school policy," said the nurse as she turned and walked away. She paused and looked back, clearly just remembering something. "Oh, Bree, I called your grandfather. He's on his way from the hospital to check on you."

She looked at him and rolled her eyes after the nurse disappeared down the hallway. "Why'd she do that? It's just my ankle. It's not like I'm dying. Sometimes I hate being from a town where everyone knows me and my family. Nothing stays secret," she complained. She made her way into the exam room. Seth stood at the doorway.

"I guess if he's coming then you won't need my assistance anymore," Seth said, really wishing he had a reason to stay.

"I don't know how to thank you enough. I'm glad I met you...Um, will I see you again?" she asked with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

He couldn't figure out how to tell her he wasn't able to see her. He couldn't convey Collin's warning to her. How could he say he would probably get fired if he saw her again? Not to mention that seeing her again would only make him want to see her more and more. All he could say to her was, "We'll see."

Seth hated the look of disappointment her face held after he spoke those words. He told her goodbye and shut the door. He could kick himself for being so insensitive. She obviously wanted to see him again, and he'd told her maybe. He couldn't believe he didn't jump at the chance to see the only girl he'd ever been so consumed by.

He started to open the front doors of the clinic but stopped abruptly. Seth's mind couldn't let go of her. He slammed his fists on the glass of the door, and it shook from the force of his frustration. Fuck it, he told himself. He turned his head to make sure the nurse wasn't around. She had her back turned and was on the phone again. He made a 180-degree turn and headed straight for her room once again. He didn't knock when he got there—he just barged in.

Seth looked at the surprised, beautiful face of Bree. Being driven by a force that he couldn't control, he closed the gap that separated them from one another. He couldn't keep from touching her anymore.

Seth made his way to her on the table and took her head in his hands. She opened her legs just enough to let him stand between them. He didn't see any hesitation in her eyes, so he bent his head down close to hers. Her head lifted to his, and he could smell her sweet breath. He placed his hand on her waist and gently rubbed her there which caused a small whimper to escape from Bree's mouth. Seth waited for her to close the distance between their mouths. He needed her to want him just as badly as he wanted her. She lifted a hand up to his cheek and finally brought her lips to his. When she kissed him, it gave him permission to kiss her back, and he did so with a desire he had never felt before. It went way beyond lust.

She sighed when his hands moved to each side of her face, making her feel his passion. He parted her lips with his tongue and couldn't imagine anything tasting better than her mouth. He ran his hands down her face, neck, and shoulders, not relenting in his kisses. Touching her became his focus. He could feel his pants becoming a little tighter after she took her hands and ran them down his back, sending chills throughout his body. The way she moved her lips made thought of anything but Bree leave his head. All he wanted was her.

Finally, she pulled away. "My grandfather will be here soon." She kissed him softly on the lips. "So, will I see you again?" she asked one last time.

"You can count on it," he answered. This time there was no hesitation or overthinking.

He nipped at her upper lip and then gave her one last deep kiss, wanting to make sure she'd remember him. Afterward, he forced himself to leave the exam room. He shut the door and tried to adjust his pants before going out in public. Hopefully he would calm himself down before he left the building. Nothing was worse than walking around with a raging hard on that was difficult to hide.

As he made his way to the door, he noticed an older, gray-haired doctor making his way into the building.

"Dr. Whitlock, your granddaughter is in exam room one. She hurt her ankle," the nurse said upon his arrival.

"Thank you, Mary Alice." And Dr. Whitlock made his way to Bree's room.

She's a Whitlock, Seth thought, surprised. Not only was Seth disregarding Collin's warning about getting involved with the students, but he had to go find the one girl who belonged to the most influential and wealthy family in town.

The first thought he had after he left the infirmary was,What am I thinking? She's going to get me in so much trouble. But his next thought sealed his fate. And I don't give a damn.


	3. Chapter Three: Over and Over Again

**Chapter Three**

 **Over and Over Again**

Whitlock, Bree-Lynn Tanner . . . 555-7172.

Over and over again, he looked at the number in the university directory he'd found in Collin's office. He made sure no one saw him sneak back there to find the number. He ripped out the page, waded it up, and stuck it in his jean's pocket.

He'd dialed the number more than two dozen times but never pressed the 'send' button to complete the call. He stared at the writing on the crumbled piece of paper, trying to get up enough nerve to call her, and her name grew unfocused on the page.

It had been three days since the kiss, the one that epitomized everything he'd ever known about love – or what could grow into love. He couldn't fathom how he'd reached this point. He'd never been intimidated by a girl, and this girl certainly scared him. He knew she had him around her finger, and his fate rested in what she decided to do with him.

The well-built, russet-skinned man had no trouble asking a girl out; it was natural to him – that is, until Bree came into the picture. He stopped for a moment and closed his eyes, remembering her fingers trailing down his back during that kiss. He could still feel the soft pressure of those fingers. Unconsciously, he licked his lips when he remembered the taste of her mouth. It was like nothing he could describe, and it was better than anything he'd ever tasted before.

"Five, five, five, seven, one, seven, two," he said to himself as he dialed his cell phone. Hidden behind the maintenance building, he made the phone call. He didn't want Jared to overhear the conversation, and he certainly didn't need Collin to know that the only girl he'd ever obsessed about attended this school.

"Come on, Breelie, answer," he said. He liked the name 'Breelie' though he didn't know why. He could claim that ashisname for her. He liked the sound of her being only his. Only his to hold, touch...maybe even love.

"Hi, this is Bree. Leave a message," answered her voice mailbox. Seth heard loud music and various feminine squeals in the background.

"Um, Breelie, I mean, Bree, hi. This is Seth Clearwater . . . from the other day. I helped you to the infirmary. Anyway, call me. My number is 555-0987," he said, leaving what he thought was an awkward message. He tried not to worry too much about it because all he really wanted was to see her again.

~o~O~o~

Bree was late again; she hated hobbling around on her crutches. Always on the go, she never thought about slowing down. She always stayed busy, and she liked keeping her life that way. It kept her mind off the things she had to do – the things she was expected to do. However, since her injury, she had extra time on her hands, which meant she had time to think about a lot of things, including Seth. He always managed to creep into her subconscious, and she was angry at him for making her think of him too much.

Bree shook her head, as if doing so would make the memory of him leave her brain. She thought that she was crazy for having asked to see him again. Yes, she felt an attraction to him unlike any she had experienced before; she still had dreams about kissing him. Yes, he took such tender care of her, in a way that her boyfriend had never come close to matching. (Riley was anything but tender.) And, yes, Seth was the handsomest guy she had ever seen. She blushed at the thought of him without his shirt on. Even Riley, who worked out everyday, didn't have a body like Seth's.

"Damnit!" Bree cried as her crutch found loose gravel on the parking lot she was crossing. Luckily, she corrected herself before she crashed into the hard ground. "Leave it to me to hurt myself again just trying to walk," she said, scolding herself.

Bree never appreciated her healthy body until it was injured. Aside from the occasional shin splints and sore muscles, she had always been healthy. She couldn't remember a time when she'd been kept from doing the one thing in life she truly loved – running. It was her only release – the only thing she did that was allhers… and she just happened to be damn good at it too. No one in her family controlled it. They could force her into med school and into joining a sorority, but they didn't have to force her to run.

This morning, Bree had to walk clear across campus just to make it to the stadium for treatment on her ankle at the athletic training room. She had to finish it before her 9:30 organic chemistry class. She hoped to hurry the process and talk her trainer into allowing her to spend less time submerging her ankle in the torturous tub of ice water. She wondered if the trek across campus was even worth it, but she quickly dismissed the thought because she knew it would help her heal faster so she could get back to running.

But thoughts of her training session were interrupted by the one thing she wished her mind would let her forget.

She saw Seth and his friend, Jared, unloading equipment from the Gator that had carried her to the infirmary that day. She had no idea what they were doing at the stadium, but she didn't question their activities because they were, after all, the maintenance guys.

Bree didn't realize she had stopped short of the entrance to the stadium to stare at him. She lost all train of thought and didn't get it back before he looked up and saw her. He waved to her, and she panicked. She clumsily made her way into the stadium without acknowledging his greeting.

She hated herself for ignoring him.

~o~O~o~

Seth had made several attempts to talk to Bree, but he kept getting the cold shoulder. He realized that it had been over a week since she had so blatantly ignored him while he was working at the stadium that morning. Even though she was the one who asked to see him again, he had not heard from her. Seth tried not to be angry – his pride wouldn't let him – but deep down, it hurt him.

"Man, I'm so glad it's the weekend. I have got to find me somebody tonight, Seth, or I'm gonna pop!" Jared complained as the two rode the Gator to the library. They were spending the day weed-eating around the flower beds and mowing the commons area.

The sun shone brightly that day, and the boys from the reservation hated the stiffness of their starched uniforms. They hated to be confined to anything, especially resenting such an unnecessary item as a shirt. But Collin had his rules; they had to wear their work shirts whenever they were out on campus duty.

They were used to hot days like this back home – they'd been known to play a rough game of tackle football wearing nothing but their shorts. That's how life was on the reservation. Life there was simple – nothing fancy about it. Their idea of a party was a keg on the beach, a bonfire, and loud music. None of them had much in the way of worldly goods, but they had one another. Seth, Jared, and their friends at home, Jacob, Quil, Paul and Embry, – each would take a bullet for another. That's the way it had been their whole lives.

Seth laughed at his friend's one-track mind and how Jared only thought about getting laid. Jared never had a problem finding someone to fill his needs; his tall frame and long muscles accentuated a face that any girl would want. His short, brown hair and brown eyes also appealed to the opposite sex. In fact, most of the boys from the rez were the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome.

"Brass Monkey tonight?" Seth asked.

The local bar was a staple every Friday for all of them. Tucked away on the seedier side of town, the bar was, for the most part, frequented by working class people. The strip, which ran a couple of blocks from school, hosted the college crowd most weekends. The railroad tracks that split the town were like the Mason-Dixon line of Forks. The west side of the tracks were held down by the blue-collar workers who had lived here their whole lives in the modest, framed houses beaten down by the constant rain. On the east, there was the college, where the privileged students from rich families lived and studied before moving on every four to five years. Also east of the tracks were many nicer clubs, restaurants, hotels, and Seth's recent discovery, the sprawling Whitlock's estate.

"Of course! It's always the Brass Monkey! I'm ready to get shit-faced. Maybe we can both find a hottie tonight. We can find you someone to get your mind off the chick you won't talk about. You haven't said anything about her, but I know you, Seth. I know she's got you sprung," Jared teased. Seth knew Jared was right. But he kept his mouth shut because he knew better than to talk girls with his friend. This girl mattered to him, and he wouldn't let Jared cheapen it with his immaturity.

"Dude, don't look now, but I think that's your girl leaving the Admin building." Jared pointed toward the girl. Seth immediately straightened and turned to look where Jared was pointing. His eyes scanned the crowd for her. Even though she had ignored his attempts to talk to her, he still couldn't help himself.

He finally spotted her as she moved slowly in his direction, and he felt his lungs begin to take shorter breaths that he couldn't control. He swallowed the lump in his throat because his mouth had suddenly become parched. Then he caught sight of her face. She looked displeased. She draped her messenger bag across her body, and it fell between her breasts, pulling her baggy shirt tight around them. She seemed to be cursing the crutches she had to use. Her injured ankle was wrapped in an ace bandage, and she sported a bulky, medical shoe.

Watching her move as if she were in slow motion, Seth couldn't take his eyes off her. Here was the girl he wanted, and he was helpless without her, unsure if she felt anything for him. Bree finally noticed Seth and looked twice, as if to make sure it were really him. She stopped her uneasy swagger for just a moment, perhaps considering heading his way.

But before Seth could begin to make his way to her, a tall, brownish blonde man approached her from behind, making her stumble with his aggressive hug. He looked familiar, but from this angle, Seth couldn't figure out who the guy was. She didn't look as thrilled to see him as he did her. He hugged her from behind and lightly kissed her neck.That hurts, Seth though as he described the basic effect her kissing another guy had on him. She wasn't evenhis, and he was jealous. He was so jealous, in fact, that he considered dismembering his competition.

Bree looked one more time at Seth with apologetic eyes, but Seth got the message. She's taken. He started the weed-eater immediately with a swift pull of the cord, turned his back on the couple, and began his work. He was screaming inside, berating himself. How could I have been so stupid? How would she even be interested in me?

Jared walked to him and placed his hand on Seth's shoulder. Seth shut off his machine. "Sorry, man," said Jared. "She's got a boyfriend, dude, and it's not just any guy. It's Riley Biers."

Seth couldn't care less who the boyfriend was; all he wanted was for his friend to shut up. "Jared, I'm gonna drink you under the table tonight. I feel like getting shit-faced too."

"You know I can drink you under the table, Clearwater! It's on!" Jared yelled. "I still think we should find you some other hottie tonight. There's a lot of girls out there who wouldn't say no to you, Seth." Seth had no reply to his friend's reassurances and, instead, resumed his mindless duties.

Seth needed to forget about Bree tonight and drinking was the only thing that sounded like it would remotely help. For the rest of the day, Seth focused on his work and looked forward to drowning his sorrows at the Brass Monkey with all his buddies. He already knew that he wouldn't take Jared's advice and find another girl tonight. He'd had enough of women for a while, and he wasn't sure when he'd feel up to trying again.

~o~O~o~

"Could you not play that song again, Embry? You play that one over and over every week," Paul yelled from behind the bar. He tended the bar at the Brass Monkey and had to deal with the craziness of his friends most weekends. He enjoyed it though; he got them drunk and then laughed at their drunken antics. "Dude, I'm getting sick of that song, and it's a classic."

Embry selected, AC/DC's, 'You Shook Me All Night Long', on the juke box again. It blared throughout the bar, and the guys had to scream at one another in order to be heard.

"I think he's just hoping that he can find someone who would want to shake him all night long," crowed Quil, and all the guys laughed. Embry shot him the finger from across the bar.

Paul served Seth another beer where he sat alone at a back table. He worried about his friend, who was obviously trying to drown something in the alcohol. Paul approached Jared, hoping he'd know what had made their happy-go-lucky friend so upset.

"What's wrong with Seth? I haven't seen him this upset since he couldn't take that scholarship," Paul asked.

A tremendous athlete, Seth had been recruited to play football at a university a few hours away from Forks. It would have been a full ride, and he would have been playing the game he loved so much. In fact, many universities wanted him, but life had other plans for Seth. His father had a boating accident while fishing, and Seth became the sole caretaker and breadwinner of their family. Seth never mentioned the scholarship to his father, Sam. He'd made all the guys swear they would never say anything to his dad either, and they had all kept their word, like always.

"Dude, it's worse than that. He fell hard for a chick with a boyfriend. He's that Riley Biers's girl, no less. Seth can't compete with that guy," Jared said. Riley Biers just happened to be the All-American quarterback for the University of Forks. His excellence on the team had given the university the kind of notoriety it had never seen before. He was quite good, and the guys had even watched a few of the games this year because of it. They all knew that the quarterback sitting next to them in the stands was better than the one on the field, but none of them brought it up.

"Jared, I'm sure Seth could make that Biers punk look like a peewee football player. Don't you remember how he played, dude? Seth can hold his own. It's Riley Biers who couldn't compete with Seth, man," Paul finished, rather worked up.

"Look, I remember how Seth played,and I remember how good he used to be. I'm just saying that Bree isn't going to give him the time of day as long as she's got Biers," Jared argued. Riley had Bree, and Jared knew that it was a hard pill for Seth to swallow.

"Are you saying guys like us can't get girls like her?" Paul snapped, defensive of not only Seth, but all of them. "You better get out of my face now if you want me to even think about serving you another beer." And with that threat from Paul, Jared staggered over to the increasingly competitive dart game brewing between Jacob and Quil.

The night wore on, and the guys settled around the back corner table, working on the picture of beer that Paul kept refilling for them. Seth had stayed quiet, thinking to himself. It had been an hour or so since his last drink, and he wondered if ought to drink more or sober up, so he could drive home. He didn't have much time to deliberate because his answer came to him as soon as the door swung open.

Obviously, they weren't Brass Monkey regulars. Most of them weren't from Forks, and everyone in the bar turned to stare. A small group of college students, who were drunk, brazenly walked into the bar as if it were their regular hang out. The crowd in the bar grew quiet, and most of the new group of students laughed at the reaction they received.

The one who didn't laugh was the last girl Seth wanted to see. Bree had come in with the obnoxious group of people, which included her boyfriend. He seemed to be the leader of them, too. He was three sheets to the wind and acting like an idiot. Bree, who didn't have her crutches with her tonight, scanned the room with a worried look. Seth saw her first and watched her look around nervously. He could tell she was uncomfortable being in a place like this, and her jerk of a boyfriend wasn't helping matters either.

"What the hell are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen well-dressed people before?" Riley glanced around, yelling at everyone in his beer haze. "I guess not," he laughed, amused by his own joke. The small group of friends, about five in total, staggered over to the bar, taking up all but one of the bar stools, and kept Paul busy with new drink orders. Seth recognized the only other girl in group as Lucy. She started doing tequila shots with one of the guys, and they all started getting loud.

Bree clutched her purse and tried to make herself comfortable as she stood next to her friends at the bar, but it wasn't working. She knew her friends were acting like fools, and her eyes darted around the room again to see who was watching the spectacle they were making. That's when she saw Seth in the back corner with a group of guys. She stared briefly at the man with the deep, brown eyes who invaded her thoughts daily, no matter how badly she needed him to go away. Thus far, the thought of him had done everythingbutgo away.

"Hey, babe. Why don't you come over here and sit on my lap?" Riley yelled at Bree. She could rather have died than done such a thing, and she told him so. His girlfriend's refusal only made Riley louder.

"Come on, Bree. I bet Lucy would come and sit with me if I asked her." Bree knew that to be true. Lucy would do anything to win attention from the opposite sex, and she'd wanted Riley as long as Bree had known her.

"Riley, sometimes you're an insensitive jerk. I need to go to the restroom; excuse me," she said as she limped back to the ladies room. She had no idea what to do or how to act when Seth happened to be in the same room with her. Locking the door behind her, Bree stood still and tried to breathe. She stared in the mirror and averted her eyes to the floor; she couldn't stand to look at herself. She'd intentionally ignored the person who'd helped her when she'd injured her ankle. She'd even sent his call to voice mail when she saw the caller ID, though she saved the message and replayed it to herself multiple times a day.

She wanted to see him, but she knew that wasn't the way things could be. Her family would never understand why she would think about dating a maintenance guy from the local reservation when she had Riley, who had the brightest of futures. Her father reminded her of the list of Riley's 'pros' all the time, and he never mentioned the 'cons.' Her father, Jasper, liked Riley and the perceived opportunity a relationship with him offered his daughter. Their betrothal had been planned since the two of them were younger, as the Biers and the Whitlocks were good friends.

Jasper envisioned Bree and Riley's future together, living the good life. She would be a doctor, just like her father and his father before him. Riley had a future in law to fall back on, though his football career would help him for the rest of his life. If she traded that in for Seth, she would never have the support of her parents. She didn't know how to handle their disapproval.

Getting more agitated by the minute watching Riley, Seth decided he should leave. He watched Lucy and Riley flirt, which caused his blood to boil. If Bree were his, he wouldn't even look at another women; Riley didn't seem to appreciate what he had.

Seth figured that leaving while she was in the restroom would be a wise decision. His buddies remained quiet, well aware of why Seth was on edge. They all knew who Bree was now, and they all secretly wanted a reason to kick Riley's pretty ass.

"Guys, I'm gone. I need to bail," was all he said. He threw some money down on the table to cover his share of the beer and headed out the door.

Seth didn't see that Bree had emerged from the bathroom, just as she didn't see him heading out the door. He also didn't see her return to the bar to find Lucy sitting on Riley's lap. She wondered why she hadn't assumed that Lucy would take Riley up on his offer in her absence. That girl had been attempting to pounce on Riley every chance she could. Lucy was obviously grinding her ass onto Riley's crotch, and Riley was encouraging her with his hands on her hips – all while Bree looked on.

"Really, guys? You can help each other home tonight. I'm leaving," Bree yelled.

"At least I know Lucy's going to put out. She's not a stuck-up cocktease like you," Riley shouted back. Bree clutched her purse tightly, feeling the sting of his words. Embarrassed, well aware that everyone in the bar had heard, she limped out the door as tears welled up in her eyes. Seth didn't hear the heartless words her poor excuse for a boyfriend threw at her before she left. He wasn't there to witness her humiliation, but her friends were. It took every restraint that the explosive Paul had to refrain from shoving a beer bottle up Riley's ass.

The truth of the matter was that Bree had never felt a passion for Riley; the arranged relationship had been forced upon her by her family. She thought of him more like a brother than a lover, and she couldn't even imagine having sex with him. She had liked him at first, thinking that he was what she wanted in a boyfriend. But as time went on, she realized she didn't like him and could never love him. The longer she stayed with him, the harder it became to break up with him. The thought of her family's disappointment kept her trapped in a loveless and somewhat emotional-abusive relationship.

As soon as she felt the night air, her focus was to get go home and curl up with a bucket of ice cream and watch an old movie. She thought Seth was still in the bar laughing at her humiliation, and she was far too embarrassed to approach him now. He couldn't possibly still care for anyway, considering how horribly she'd acted toward him for the past week or so.

She slowly hobbled down the sidewalk towards the parking lot.I can take my own car, thank you very much. His drunk ass can find its own way home with that whore, she thought. She was tired of Riley's foolishness and wondered how she could break it off without disappointing her parents. She spotted her car in the lot and relief came to her, knowing she'd be home soon. But fate had other plans, and the last thing she was expecting tonight was to run into Seth.

And there he was.


	4. Chapter Four: Use SomeBody

**Chapter Four**

 **Use Somebody**

She turned the corner and saw him straddling his motorcycle, about to take off. Surprised, she didn't know what to do, so she hurriedly opened her purse and wiped away the wetness from her cheeks. He looked up and saw the vulnerable Bree fumbling for her keys. It looked like she had been crying. He could only assume that the jerk Riley had something to do with it, and he really wanted to know how anyone could be so cruel to her. She found her keys but didn't go to her car. Bree couldn't keep ignoring him any longer. She let down her guard and let her eyes find his. She realized then why she couldn't stop thinking about him, he was irresistible.

Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she gingerly walked across the lot to him but stopped a few paces away from him because she needed to keep her distance. Watching her move to him made him forget that he was leaving, and he watched every awkward step she took towards him. She looked beautiful in the glow of the street light that dimly lit the area, and she looked perfect in the simple blue dress that she wore. It clung to her in the right places and fell to her mid thigh. He wantonly ran his eyes up and down her legs. She felt timid, noticing the way he looked at her, but she didn't mind.

He began to get off his motorcycle, but she interjected before he could. "Just stay on your bike, okay" she whispered.

"Why," Seth asked, thinking it a strange request. His interest was piqued.

"Because I don't trust myself with you," she breathed, barely making her voice audible. It was true; the way she felt about him could cause her to abandon any self-control she had around him and do things with him she only dreamed about. Her desire for him was all she could think about.

"I don't understand what you're saying," he responded petulantly. His instinct to be a jerk had kicked in.

"I don't understand it myself." She tried to break his gaze, but she couldn't.

"I didn't think you wanted to be near me. You've been avoiding me. What the hell? "

"I don't know. I have lots of reasons that are hard to explain," she said. Feeble though it was, it was the only answer she could provide to explain why she'd ripped his heart out and stomped on it.

"Oh, well, if that's your stellar answer then I totally understand," he scoffed. He gripped the handles of his motorcycle, trying to release a little of his frustration. "After that kiss, I thought you wanted to see me again. I guessed wrong. I won't bother you any more." Seth's tone was clearly meant to hurt. He had spent many days trying to see her but began to think that the attraction was one-sided.

"You make me so mad, dammit!" she told him angrily, but she was angrier at herself. She couldn't explain things to him without sounding like a horrible person.

"Join the club," he said. "I see you didn't mean what you said the other day. I'm sorry for misinterpreting your words... I need to go." He lifted himself off the motorcycle in preparation of starting it.

"Wait!" she yelled before the engine roared, and he reluctantly stopped to listen to her. "Do you want to know why I've been acting the way I have?"

"It would help explain a few things, so yeah." Against his better judgement, he would listen to her. He made his voice sound cold and despondent, but he knew he really needed answers.

"You know, I've had the same boyfriend for two years. I have a family that controls everything I do and obligations that I try to live up to every day. I've had no problem with any of these things up until now. I knew what was expected of me and how to please everyone." Her voice rose shakily at him.

"And this has what to do with me?" Seth asked. He had no idea where this conversation was going, but he was sure as hell sticking around to find out.

"It has everything to do with you! Don't you see?" she said raising her voice at him. "Because...because you've come into my life...…and now everything that I thought I knew and everything that I thought I wanted has been totally erased by just one kiss. One kiss from you, and I'm a mess. I can't have any distractions right now, and here I am, needing a distraction. I didn't know how badly I needed one, and I'm so wanting you to be my distraction. There's so much pressure on me and obligations that you couldn't understand." She ran her fingers through her hair, watching his eyes flare with either anger or lust. She had to blink away her tears.

Seth was torn between bending her over his motorcycle and having his way with her and being angry as hell at her. How dare she think she's the only one here with problems, he thought to himself. Then his frustration got the best of him.

"YOU have obligations? How dare you sit there and tell me that you want me one moment and then in the next breath you say that you can't have me because of obligations. Are you that self-centered? Have you ever thought once about my side of things? And I don't want to be just a distraction. I'm not just some poor guy you can have a fling with and then discard. That won't fly with me."

She stood silent, taken aback by his outburst. She totally deserved it. It had never crossed her mind that the feelings between them would be difficult for him as well. Maybe she had been a little self-centered in the whole thing?

"Do you think I haven't considered whether you and I could actually work? I have a disabled father at home to take care of. This job at your school pays the only money we have, which isn't a lot, by the way. I risked my job kissing you the other day. And by trying to see you again, I could throw away all that I've worked for . . . I can risk all I've built. It's not much, but it's mine. So don't go giving me shit about obligations. Rich and poor, we've all got them." His chest rose and fell heavily after his outburst.

Infuriated, he moved again to start his bike, but he caught a glimpse of Bree from the corner of his eye. She crossed her arms across her breasts and shivered in the cool, nighttime air. Again she looked like she was going to cry, and his anger immediately softened toward her-against his better judgment. He knew he would give in to her no matter how mad she made him.

She locked eyes with the rugged, gorgeous guy in front of her. "Where are you going" she questioned, her voice cracking in the process. She would understand if he didn't want to speak to her ever again.

"I was going home, but I'm not so sure now," he answered. This girl messed with his brain in the worst way. He didn't know north from south, who was president, or what he ate for breakfast.

Her soft voice was so soft that it barely reached his ears.

"Take me with you, please." She sounded pitiful and looked beautiful all at the same time, like a wounded puppy, and he knew he couldn't say no to her now.

She took a few wobbly steps towards Seth, and he dismounted from his bike to help her. He grabbed her hand and lifted her on the back of his motorcycle. She moved very lady-like so as not to reveal too much under her short dress as she straddled his bike. Seth watched her fidgeting, trying to be modest, and smiled to himself. He had to be very careful with her.

"I'm sorry. I can get so caught up in my own drama sometimes that I don't see things that are right in front of me," she said apologetically. "You have no idea how much I wanted to see you. Don't think I didn't want to. I just don't know how to navigate these feelings for you."

"I'm sorry, too. I can be an asshole sometimes. You might want to know that ahead of time." He handed her his helmet, placed it gently on her head, and adjusted the strap to fit her face. As he did, he gently brushed her jawline. "I'm glad you're with me now, and we'll figure out this thing we've got going on here together."

He peered down at her, and his lips lifted in a smile that she would remember forever. As long as Seth smiled at her, she could handle any drama this relationship might cause.

~o~O~o~

"Where are we?" she asked as he helped her off his bike.

"First Beach. This is where I spend most of my free time with my buddies," he answered, taking a big breath of the fresh ocean air.

Seth took her hand and walked slowly, mindful of her injured ankle.

"How's your ankle healing?" he asked, thankful that the night wasn't too cold on the beach.

"Really well. My trainer thinks I can start running in a few days. I'll only miss one more meet," she answered. "I should come out here and run. Running on the sand is good resistance training."

"I'd love for you to come out here. I could run with you." Seth couldn't get the thought of her running out of his head. Baywatch reruns popped into his dirty mind-she'd look good in a red, high cut swim suit. Focus he had to remind himself. It was hard to concentrate around her. "Not many girls come out to the beach with us. It's usually just us guys, playing football and killing one another."

"You're close with your friends, aren't you?" she asked.

"We're like brothers. We've been since birth pretty much. We all grew up with one another."

"I bet it's nice having real friends," she said sadly.

"You've got to have some real friends, Breelie." His voice reflected his surprise to her saying she didn't have any friends. She realized that she liked the way he said her name. Breelie and not Bree.

"It's weird, really. I have plenty of so-called friends, but I can't think of one of them that I could say I'm really close to. Most of them are my sorority sisters, and the rest know that I'm a Whitlock and like me because of it. I've learned that most people who befriend me only do it because of my last name and the money it has with it. How's that for sad? I'd give anything to have friends like yours." She gripped his hand harder, not wanting to let go of him or this moment.

"You just haven't found the right crowd yet. I could tell you had nothing in common with that Lucy and Maria. If that's who you hang out with, no wonder why you're searching for something different." His words struck a chord with her. Her whole life, she had been raised in a world with privilege and opportunity, having everything she ever desired. The one thing she never had was someone who was real and honest with her. Her Uncle Demetri was good, but he was related to her, and was under obligation to her. Seth had a genuineness about him that she was attracted to. He somehow managed to take care of her without babying her.

"Your friends looked pretty mad when I left tonight. I bet they hate me."

"No, they like you. They aren't too thrilled with your boyfriend, though. Where we come from, if somebody acts like that, he's gonna get his ass kicked – no matter how high and mighty he thinks he is. As far as we're concerned, no man is above another. Biers has an ass-kicking coming soon if he keeps acting like a douchebag."

"I'd like to see that. Make sure I'm there, okay?" Bree laughed, thinking that watching Riley get put in his place would be fun to watch.

Seth laughed with her and realized they had reached the edge of the water. He kept hold of her hand, and they both stared out at the horizon for a long time, listening to the waves lap onto the shore.

Bree closed her eyes and let the breeze kiss her face. She felt a freedom here with Seth that she'd never experienced before. Back home, there were so many rules to follow. Her father had mapped out her five-year life trajectory-he kept a chart in his office. She couldn't remember a time when her life's plan wasn't put on some spreadsheet by her father. Her mother, Angie, kept herself scarce and was never much of a support to her. Her mom's biggest concern was the gin that she kept hidden around the house.

"Here. Have a seat. I'm going to show you how we do it out here in La Push." Seth moved Bree away from the water and had her sit on a huge log that surrounded what looked to be a burn pile. He started gathering wood and piling it on top of the old kindling.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"You'll see." His eyes sparkled as he said those words, and he began moving effortlessly around the beach as she watched.

He'd made a fire while she relaxed, listening to the waves of the ocean crash onto the shore. She didn't know when she had ever been so content. Bree enjoyed watching him work in the light bouncing from the flames. She had never seen anyone more beautiful and more at home. The way his tight shirt clung to his flexing muscles made her ache inside from the need to touch him. She was entranced as he moved around the fire, making sure the wood was perfectly placed. She could see his face through the flames, and she was mesmerized by him. He caught her staring and decided that the fire was good enough.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked, sitting beside her.

"I was waiting for you. You look so at ease around the fire," she commented, recalling how naturally he moved. With little effort, he created a huge fire for just the two of them. A fire, the waves, the multitude of stars, and Seth. She couldn't remember a night as amazing as this one.

"My friends and I come here often, and we always have a fire. If you think this one is good, you should see the ones we make when we're really serious." Seth leaned against a large rock and motioned for her to come closer.

"You can join me over here. I won't bite...hard." He gave her a wink and then the smile that she'd fallen in love with already.

Without hesitation, she scooted a few feet over in the sand and found herself lying against his chest with her head close to the crook of his neck. He wrapped his warm arm around her and made her feel safe. She knew that feeling protected could be a really dangerous thing. It would be too easy to let down the walls she'd worked so hard to build up around herself.

Seth made sure he did everything slowly tonight. In the back of his mind, he was already making love to her on the beach by the fire. However, he knew he needed to take things one step at a time. It wasn't just because he thought she was too innocent-he didn't want to screw this up. Too fast, too soon could dissolve the best of intentions.

Neither one of them spoke for a long time. They held one another by the light of the flames and let their breathing sync in time with one another. Bree traced her fingers over the design on Seth's t-shirt and found his hand resting on his chest. She began touching his hand with her fingers, outlining it like it possessed a design, too. Bree liked the way his warm skin felt-rough from hard work, but it was gentle underneath all the masculinity. She remembered how those hands felt when he carefully touched her; she hoped that soon he wouldn't be so careful. She was inexperienced but was ready to learn everything from him.

She took his hand, entwined her fingers with his, and brought their joined hands to her lips. She placed a soft, wet kiss on his forefinger. The arm that wrapped around her tightened, and her body moved closer to his. She noticed his breathing grow heavier after her kiss, and she liked the effect her touch had on him. Bree continued on to the next finger, hearing the slightest moan, followed by a deep breath from him.

"I love your hands," she uttered to him in between kisses.

"I'm glad," he said, reveling in the tender moment she was giving him. He leaned his head down close to hers, and she lifted hers to him. He felt her breath on his chin and anticipated her sweet taste. Softly, she pushed her body up to meet his lips, and he responded ardently. His other arm completed his embrace and rested on the back of her head. He fisted the soft locks in his grip. As their lips moved together in perfect harmony, it felt almost as if they had been kissing one another all their lives. Not once did they bump noses or find their heads in an awkward position. They each instinctively found the others lips, teeth, and tongue where it should be. His gentle nips on her lower lip made her attack him more. She ran her fingers through his short, black hair and then ran them down his neck.

When the urge overwhelmed him, Seth took Bree by the hips and rolled her on top of him. He'd been unable to help himself, and he cussed himself internally for making such a move before being confident that she was ready. He hoped she wouldn't stop kissing him after his quick repositioning of her. He wasn't expecting anything more than he was already getting, but he didn't know if she understood that.

Bree didn't object to straddling Seth. In fact, she loved the way it felt. She stopped kissing him for a moment just to let out a gasp at the fantastic friction she felt. She had never gone this far with Riley...willingly. She had no sexual feelings for him at all, but he had forced her into positions she didn't want to be in, but she didn't know how to use her voice and say no. She avoided contact at all costs because of it.

But Seth was different. His body made her blush and want to do the sort of things with him that she'd promised herself she'd wait until she was truly in love to do.

"I'm sorry," he murmured when she broke the kiss immediately, thinking she thought he'd been too forward.

It didn't take long for him to realize he was wrong. She began a trail of kisses from his ear, down his jawline, across his neck. She licked his Adam's apple with her tongue and continued back to his ear.

She nipped his earlobe and whispered, "It's okay."

With that, he grabbed the back of her dress and clinched it in his hands, kissing her harder. She rocked her hips slowly, feeling his hardness pressed against warm center, and he lifted himself up to hold her closer to him. His dick throbbed underneath her, needed to claim her. With that thought, he knew that if this chemistry continued, his body would want more than he could ask her to give. He wanted all of her, but now wasn't the time.

"Breelie, we have to stop." He withdrew from her kisses, but he nuzzled his head in the soft space between her shoulder and neck. He smelled her sweet perfume and wondered what he'd done so right that he'd earned this moment with her.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, confused by his abrupt ending of their make-out session.

"No, not at all… in fact, you're doing everything a little too well," he chuckled softly. He rubbed her arm with the back of his fingers, and he could feel the goosebumps forming underneath his touch.

"Oh," she pouted, but she knew he was doing the right thing. It wouldn't be long before the two of them found themselves in a very serious situation.

"It's really late, too. I should probably get you home," he groaned, not really wanting to follow through.

"Let's just stay for a few more minutes," she requested, and he didn't have to be asked twice.

He picked his head up off her shoulder and looked at her brown eyes. He soaked up her beauty. Her skin glowed, reflecting the warm glow of the fire. His eyes slid slowly down her face to her body, still sitting across his. Unable to keep his hands to himself, he gently placed one on the side of her neck and slowly began trailing it down the center of her body, between her collar bones, and then even lower, between her breasts. He needed to feel her body under his fingers and see how it reacted to his touch.

Through the material of her dress, he felt the softness of her unrestrained breasts-she had worn no bra. Holy shit, he thought at the revelation. He had a moment of weakness and slid his hand to cup her right breast but only for a brief moment. He heard her sigh at the contact. Seth had been quite the gentleman so far, and he couldn't be judged for being tempted by her beauty. Bree was, after all, sitting right on top of his aching dick. Reluctantly, he moved his hand away from her full breast and stopped at her toned stomach. His hand slowly moved outward, coming to a rest on her hip. He squeezed her there, pushing her one last time to his hardness.

Bree had never felt anything like the exquisiteness of Seth's gentle caress. She had never been so turned on and never even imagined the effect that the right guy could have on her. It took every bit of self-control she had not to attack him.

"Does he touch you like this" Seth had to ask. The Biers guy irked him even though he didn't know him. He'd even watched a few of his games, but now that he knew Riley was Bree's boyfriend, he didn't like the chump one bit.

"No." She didn't want to tell him about things done without her consent. She only wanted Seth's touch now.

"Good. I have no right to be bothered by him, but I am. I don't like seeing you with him."

"I'm ending it. I don't care what my family says. He's only seeing me because of our parents. He has girls on the side all the time. I've known for a while. I saw it tonight, in fact," she confessed. She left out other parts of the relationship of which she was ashamed. It was best if Seth didn't know.

"Asshole. I would never do that to you. Never."

"I know...I barely know you, but I feel more connected to you after one night than I've ever felt in two years spent with him."

Seth cupped one hand under her chin, the other behind her head, and kissed her deeply. He would do whatever it took to be with Bree. He was hooked.

~o~O~o~

Seth and Bree finally made their way back to Forks in the wee hours of the morning. He drove back to the parking lot and parked by her car.

The doubts he'd had about Bree feeling the same attraction that he did had been squashed tonight. He knew she wanted him. Their mutual attraction had been well-established by kisses around a campfire. The fire that burned between the two of them had only just begun. The flames of their desire were high, and tonight proved just how much they wanted each other. They both understood that their fling was likely to crash and burn, but neither one cared at the moment.

"What do we do now?" she asked Seth as he helped her off his bike.

"I'm not sure. How do we handle other people knowing about us?" he asked.

"I'm not sure either."

She knew that being with him would be difficult if her family and friends knew. He knew he would be fired and left without a way to take care of his dad. But more than anything, they knew they couldn't be apart anymore.

"Do we keep this between the two of us until we can figure out all the crazy details?" he suggested..

"I guess so. We can have our own secret love affair. It sounds kind of hot," she chuckled.

He smiled at that, in complete agreement. "When can I see you again" Already he missed the feel of her body against his.

"As soon as possible. Call me, and we'll figure something out." She tried to stand on her tiptoes to reach up to kiss him but forgot about her tender ankle.

"Ouch. you made me forget I'm hurt," she spoke happily. He made her forget a lot of the sadness she had in her life.

"I can help," Seth offered, picking her up and bringing her to his lips. He gave her one last passionate kiss and set her down. She felt a little wobbly and considered herself lucky when she managed to get the car door open and sit down. She shut the door and watched him stride back to his bike. Bree started her engine and drove away, but not before catching one last smile that Seth sent her way.


	5. Chapter Five: Are you Gonna Be My Girl?

**Chapter Five**

 **Are You Gonna Be My Girl?**

"Oh, Goodness!" Bree's eyes fluttered open to the smell of something burning. She knew the house wasn't burning down, not yet at least. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen as quickly as she could and saw exactly what she'd expected-her mother cooking.

"Br-ee-Ly-nn, I made you breakfast," her mom, Angela, slurred. "I hope yer hungreyy." She slopped something that resembled a pancake on the griddle. The almost empty bottle of gin sat next to the eggs. The cigarette, dangling from Angela's mouth, had burned almost to the yellow band. The ash was moments away from falling into the food that she attempted to cook.

"Thanks, Mom." Bree used the voice she reserved for intoxicated mother. She was a pro at talking to her mother in this state. IT was almost as if she were talking to a dementia patient. "I can't wait to try those pancakes. They look delicious." Bree was clearly humoring her mother because whatever was in the batter Angela had made did not look even remotely appetizing.

Bree stepped behind her mom and gently tugged at her arm. Angela reeked of alcohol, and her brown hair hadn't been washed in quite some time.

"Mom, why don't you go lie down? You must have gotten up really early to surprise me. I bet you're tired." Bree finally finagled the cigarette from her mother's mouth and crushed it on a nearby ashtray.

Angela pulled her arm from Bree's grasp. "Nonsense, sweetie. I'm havin' fun," she giggled as she plopped another blob on the griddle. She held a wooden spoon in one hand and resumed mixing the batter in the expensive, jadeite bowl that had been handed down from Grandmother Charlotte's mother.

Bree turned off the burners while her mother was distracted and tried to flip over the "pancakes" that were not burnt yet. Angela slapped Bree's hand with her spoon.

"Stop that. I'll do it." Bree watched as her mother tried to take the spatula to turn the pancakes. A moment later, Angela lost her balance, and her free hand landed right on a the hot burner. Angela didn't even flinch. Bree couldn't believe how drunk her mom was already this morning. She felt she should be used tho this behavior from Angela by now, but how does one ever get used to having an inebriated mother 24/7?

"Mom. Seriously. I need you to go lie down. Now," Bree demanded. Thankfully, Angela complied this time and began to show her drowsiness.

The daughter led her mother to the immaculate master suite and lay her down on the over-sized bed. Luckily the bed hadn't been made, and her mother could slide right in. It had no less than twenty expensive pillows that coordinated with the comforter and other prints decorating the room.

Bree pulled the robe tightly around her mom and covered her with the down comforter. She brushed the hair out of her mom's face and kissed her on the cheek. After Bree retrieved one of the first-aid kits kept around the house for moments such as this one, she doctored Angela's burn. _Dad will have to look atthat when he gets off his shift at the hospital_ , she thought to herself. She hated to deal with her father, and letting him know about her mother's injury would be her least favorite thing to do. Dealing with her father was always her least favorite thing to do.

Bree closed the door of her parent's bedroom with her mother passed out cold in the bed. It was Saturday morning, and not even eight o'clock yet. Most of her friends were sleeping in until noon or later after going out the night before. Bree would give anything to have one day where she didn't have to deal with her mom's sickness, but she had no such luck. On her Saturday morning, Bree was taking care of an erratic mother with a drinking problem that no on in the family wanted made public. It was never going to get better until her mom got real help. Bree picked up the phone to dial the only person in her family she could trust.

"This better be good, String Bean," a groggy voice answered.

"Uncle Demetri, it's Mom again." Uncle Demetri would be easier to deal with than her father.

"Shit. I'll be there in a minute."

Bree made her way back to the kitchen and began to clean up the mess that her mom had made, like she had done what felt like a million times before.

~o~

"Morning, Seth," Sam greeted his son from the breakfast table.

"Hey, Dad." Seth found the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. He refilled his dad's cup too.

"You got in late last night. What are you doing up already?" Sam asked.

"I told Quil I'd help him work on his car. It's not running right, so I told him we could probably fix it today before it went out on him completely. You done with the sports section yet?"

Sam slid the newspaper across the table to Seth who opened the front page.

"Were you with the boys last night?" Sam didn't look up from behind his paper. He just sipped his coffee, waiting for an answer. His dad was no dummy, and he was good at getting info from his only son.

"Yeah." Seth took a sip, failing miserably at lying to his dad.

"Jared called late last night and woke me up. He wanted to know if you had made it home or left with some girl." Sam took another sip. "He didn't know her name."

"Dad, do we have to discuss this right now?" Seth asked, looking over his paper and trying to act nonchalant.

"Nope. Just didn't know if you wanted to talk to your old man about things."

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks." A few moments of silence passed between them. He was horrible at keeping things from his dad. "Okay, okay. She's nice. She's smart...and beautiful. And I don't want to say too much and screw it up, okay?" Seth replied quickly.

"I don't want to know unless you want to tell me. Will, uh, we be seeing her around?" Sam questioned.

"We aren't that serious, Dad. We just started seeing each other. We've got one minor problem, though." Seth could trust his Dad to keep his secrets.

"Oh, what's that?" Sam set down his paper.

"Collin Littlesea can't find out, okay?"

"She's a student then?" Sam asked, raising one of his dark eyebrows.

"How did you know that?"

"Oh, I've known Collin a long time. He's always got his 'rules.' Looks like he's failing miserably in your case." A smile crossed Sam's face.

"Right. I kind of forget we live in a small place. Everybody knows everybody's business. If, and I mean if, I bring this girl over, you can't make a big deal out of it, okay?" Seth begged his father.

"Sure, sure, son. Does this girl have a name?"

"Yes. Bree-Lynn Whitlock."

Seth used his newspaper to protect his face from the coffee his father unexpectedly spit across the kitchen table.

"What the hell was that, Dad?" Seth growled.

"Oh, nothing. I just got a little choked up. That's all," his father stuttered.

Seth wanted to believe his dad, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more behind the incident than his father would have him believe. Seth didn't ask, though. He just got the paper towels and started cleaning up the mess.

~o~

"She's upstairs sleeping it off. Dad will be home in a couple of hours, so you should be free to leave when he gets back," Bree rambled to her Uncle Demetri. "She burned her hand pretty badly, but she can't go to the ER like this. You know Dad would flip if I brought Mom in drunk to get her hand looked at."

"Why haven't we sent her off to rehab yet? We could call it a spa trip or something like that, like all the celebs do," he suggested.

"Because the Whitlocks are proud people who don't have problems, Demetri. _We're practically perfect in every way,"_ Bree spoke in her best Mary Poppin's voice. "If we show that we don't have it together, then we have a problem. And, you know, the Whitlocks don't have problems," Bree said sarcastically.

"I know that. Being married to your aunt has taught me a thing or two about your family. But I would think your dad, of all people, would want Angie to get better. He dotes on her so much."

"He thinks he can love her enough and she'll magically quit drinking. To an extent, it works. When he's home, she's sober. She just binge drinks when he's gone, and he's gone a lot with work. I don't understand. I'm so tired of being the one to put her back together when she gets this way." Bree's eyes began to fill with tears, but she held them in. She'd already cried more than enough over her mom's illness.

"I know. You're calling me more and more. I don't know if you really need me to help with Angie or if you just need someone sane to talk to." Demetri gave her a sympathetic smile. Bree took her cup of coffee, brought it to her lips, and took a sip. The hot felt good on her lips.

"Both. It's like this family secret we can't talk about. I have no one but you, Demetri. I hope you don't mind getting phone calls from me all the time." She looked at her uncle who sat on the bar stool at the expansive kitchen island. Bree stood across the kitchen, leaning against the counter.

"Not at all. You've always been my favorite niece, and I'll always be at your beck and call." He gave her a wink.

"I'm your only niece. You have to love me." Bree batted her eyelashes at her uncle.

Demetri and Rosalie had been married for years, and they found out early on in their marriage that they couldn't have children. They were devastated by the news. Demetri had wanted to adopt, but Rosalie wanted her own children and not someone else's. After that, the couple treated Bree like their own child.

"What do you have to do today?" Demetri asked and drank his coffee.

"I have an organic chemistry study group in about thirty minutes. We have a huge test this week, and I'm just not getting it. Then I have a sorority meeting before the game tonight. I kind of have to go to the game, too," Bree muttered. Forced sorority functions were not her favorite thing to do. If it also had to do with seeing Riley, playing on the field, she really didn't want to go. She hated the pretending when it came to their relationship, and she hated the attention she got from it even more. Apparently, Riley was a big catch.

"So, you're on the road to being a doctor, huh?" Demetri started the questioning Bree had expected.

Out of everyone in her family, Demetri was the only one who cared about what Bree truly wanted, rather than what everyone wanted for her. Her Aunt Katrina had always been there for her, as well, but she lived in Seattle and didn't get to see her as much as Bree would like.

"Yep. Third generation. Yay me," Bree said as dryly as possible.

"So, when does Bree-Lynn finally get to tell her father, 'Fuck off! I want to be a teacher?''" Demetri asked.

"I'll tell my dad whenever you tell Aunt Rosalie that you want to quit your job to be a hunter full time. Are there people who actually pay someone to take them hunting with a guide?" Bree questioned.

"As a matter of fact, there are plenty of people who'd pay good money for someone as good as I am to be their guide," Demetri defended.

"Okay, Okay. Sorry. But have you told Aunt Rose yet?" Bree smirked.

"Well, no," Demetri sighed. "You had to bring that one up, didn't you? I'll tell her in time. You know Rose. She has her ideals on how I should do things and doesn't let up until things go her way. Me being a hunter isn't exactly what she signed up for when she married me. She likes me being a successful lawyer."

"Demetri, why do you think I'm going through freakin' rush right now? Not because I want to. I got the your-grandmother-was-a-Delta-Kate-and-I-were-Deltas-so-it's-imperative-that-our-next-daughter-in-line-become-a-Delta speech from her. There was no asking, only demanding. Until you and I each grow a pair, we're going to be stuck doing things we don't want to do."

Demetri smiled at his niece and glanced at the time. "You better get going. I'll take care of your mom until Jasper gets home."

"Thanks, Demetri."

"No problem, String Bean." He called her the nickname he had coined for her when she was just a girl. He used to say that she was just a goofy, tall kid, made up of just knees and elbows. Time had passed, and Bree had grown up. Her body was no longer the one that Demetri teased her about. She had filled out and, obviously, looked like a woman now. Her adult body drew more attention than Bree noticed. She wasn't one to pick up on those kinds of things. Bree threw on her yoga pants and a t-shirt, grabbed a jacket and her books, and headed to the library to meet her new friend Bianca, whom she'd met in Organic Chemistry.

Before she started the engine to her car, she checked her phone. There were several missed calls from Riley last night, as well as a few texts.

 _Why is your car still here and you're not? Where are you?_

 _Don't make me call your dad?_

 _Why are you acting like a spoiled brat? I was only joking around with Lucy._

"I'm behaving like a spoiled brat?" she asked herself, exasperated at the ridiculousness of the texts. She had to end their relationship, and she needed to do it soon. After last night, she couldn't see herself with anyone but Seth. He had become her focus. He was a happy thought in her life of obligations and secrets. She wasn't afraid to break up with her jerk of a boyfriend-well, maybe she was afraid of his volatile temper just a little. What she was more afraid of than an abusive boyfriend was the reaction from her overbearing and controlling father. _Maybe I'll call Riley tomorrow,_ she thought. She had such a busy day anyway.

The tingling feeling in her lower stomach grew as she thought of Seth, and she wondered when she could see him again-the sooner the better.

~o~

"I think you've got a vacuum leak. Let's check the hoses," Seth said, wiping the black oil from his hands. "We need to change your timing belt, too."

"This piece of shit will run a little longer thanks to you," Quil replied, thankful he had a friend like Seth.

"You owe me free beer for life for helping you, you know."

"Yeah, I'm not worried about you letting me forget it either," Quil sneered.

They stood in the street in front of Quil's house in the cool morning air. Fall had arrived, and the weather was turning colder. It didn't seem to affect the boys on the rez, though. Seth rotated his mechanic skills between his friends every few weeks or so. None of them had much money, so keeping their old, beat-up cars running was Seth's job. He didn't mind. They always had his back and were there when he needed them; that was payment enough. Free beer and whiskey didn't hurt either.

After Seth's mom, Leah, died suddenly, his friends and cousin were the ones who kept him from falling off the deep end. He knew he could never repay them for helping him through his sorrow. It still hurt, but the pain had eased a bit over the years.

"So, Seth. What's up between you and that girl?" Quil asked while he watched Seth work.

"What do you want to know about it?" Seth lifted his head out from under the hood, wiping off the wrench he'd been using.

"I don't know. I know you left together last night. That usually means one thing...was she good?" Quil questioned.

Seth stopped what he was doing and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Quil immediately knew he'd asked the wrong question and wished he could take it back.

"It's not like that. She's more than just sex." Seth was speaking through gritted teeth. "How do you people know we left together? Do you have spies or something?"

"No, we just have a Jared. He's sneaky. Bro, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you liked her so much."

"Me either," Seth revealed.

"What about her boyfriend?"

"Quil, your guess is as good as mine. All I know is she's got me, and I'll do whatever it is she wants. I'm not used to this, so don't give me shit about it, okay?"

"Are you kidding me? I can't say anything to you. I made a fool out of myself for your cousin, so you can hang that over my head for life," Quil admitted. Claire and Quil had been seeing each other for a while now. Both Seth and Claire mother's were sisters and were very close, treating both Seth and Claire like their own, and in turn Seth and Claire are very close, like brother and sister and over the years, they both consider themselves as such. Seth had finally come to terms with his best friend dating his cousin. Seth could tell Quil really loved Claire and treated her well. That made the awkwardness of the whole situation better. He also knew his mom would be pleased with Claire's choice in boyfriends.

"I'm thinking we can have one of our parties next week, and she can come. The guys have to know this girl is not to be a topic of conversation around the rez. We need to threaten Jared within an inch of his life. I can't lose my job over this," Seth explained.

"No problem. I'll get the word out. I'll have the guys bring their girls too, so she won't get faint-hearted by all our sexy manliness. We don't want her lusting over anyone but you," joked Quil.

Seth pushed Quil playfully, making him stagger across the street. Quil tried to keep himself from falling.

Seth was naturally strong, and he forgot his own strength sometimes.

"Dammit, Clearwater. You got to give me warning when you do stuff like that," Quil yelled.

"I didn't know you were such a wimp. I'll go easy on you next time," Seth called out to Quil. Quil lowered his shoulder and dropped the smile from his face. He began to run at full speed towards Seth. Seth braced for the impact and was ready to put Quil in his place for even thinking he could somehow take him.

Before Quil realized what had happened, Seth had put Quil on his back in the middle of the street.

He landed with a thud. "Are you done trying to tackle me? We need to get your car fixed, so you need to get yourself under control." Seth glared down at his friend.

"Fuck you," Quil laughed.

"You first. Get up and come help me with this belt, asshole."

Quil got up with his pride a little wounded, but he should have known better than to try to take on Seth. Seth never lost in a fight. He was a force to be reckoned with.

They worked on the car for the rest of the morning, and Bree kept invading Seth's thoughts. He knew he needed to see her again.

~o~

"Ugh! I just don't get it. I don't understand number ten. 'For the compounds and ions listed below, write Lewis/Kekulé structures for as many reasonable canonical forms as you can.' Bianca, how is it that you can do this so easily?" Bree wondered.

"I don't know, but maybe this will help." Bianca began to draw some of the resonance structures, and Bree just stared blankly at Bianca's work. The paper looked more like an art project than chemistry to Bree.

"I'm hopeless," Bree replied, shutting her book and shoving her papers in her folder. "I can't think anymore. I have to take a break." Her phone vibrated in her pants' pocket.

"You almost have it, Bree. Just give it a few more minutes," Bianca tried to encourage her friend.

"You're the one who's gonna get into the best medical schools. I'm afraid I'm destined to study in the worst one in the world, wherever that may be. I doubt anyone will take me," Bree joked as she checked her phone. Her smile quickly faded.

 _I can see you. You can't avoid me now._

Bree's stomach clinched. _What in the world was Riley doing in the library?_ she wondered. The Biers name had a lot of privilege attached to it. Good grades for him were never earned, only given. The library was the last place he'd ever be. Until today.

She glanced around the third floor of the library, searching between the bookshelves for him. She started to feel sick. The thought of Riley made her ill now. After last night, Bree knew that kissing Seth felt right. She also realized how a real man treated a woman. Tenderness went a long way. Hitting did not.

Besides Uncle Demetri, he was the only person in her life that made sense. He felt right on so many levels. On the other hand, Riley felt all wrong and had felt wrong for some time now.

Knowing Riley was watching her gave her an uneasy feeling. She kept looking for him but was unable to see where he was.

"Hey, B," Riley bellowed in the quiet library. His voice echoed off the shelves of books. She didn't like the way he tickled her underneath her arms when he scared her from behind.

"God, Riley! You scared me," Bree shrieked.

He tried to grab her hand, but she moved it before he could.

"What's your problem?" he asked.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you yet," she whispered.

"You better be in the mood soon Bree-Lynn. I don't like getting the cold shoulder," he demanded, taking a step towards her.

"Get ready for a little disappointment," she hissed. She retreated away from his advance.

"I don't get you, woman. It must be the Whitlock in you. _Temper, temper_." He shook his head. He twirled a piece of her brown hair in his fingers he managed to grab. She swatted his hand out of the way.

"No, it's not the Whitlock in me. It's you being a jerk. Now if you would excuse me, I need to get to a meeting." Bree grabbed her books and messenger bag and started to leave. Bianca just stared at the troubled couple.

Riley grabbed her arm around her bicep. "You don't walk away from me when I'm still talking to you," he said, trying to intimidate his girlfriend, like he'd done many times before. She'd never had the nerve to fight back...until now.

"I _can_ walk away from you, Riley, because I'm done talking. Let go of me," she said, trying to keep the pain out of her voice. Bree tried to get out of his grip, but he didn't relent-he was too strong. He towered over her, glaring down at her with his angry demeanor. Bree's arm hurt from his stronghold that kept tightening the madder her became.

"I'll let go of you when I'm done talking to you. Now let's go somewhere and discuss how you overreacted to things last night. I also need to know where you disappeared to. I worried about you, baby." His rough voice faked a softness to it, and his face hovered an inch from hers.

"Look, asshole, I've got a twenty pound chemistry book that's going to smack you in the head after I spray your eyes with my mace if you don't get your hands off her."

Riley looked shocked. A petite Bianca threatened him. Nobody ever gave Riley a hard time. She continued, "I'll scream so loud that everyone will know what a jerk you are. You better get the hell out of here before you get taken down by a five-foot nothing, one hundred and ten pound girl. Got it?"

Bianca stood on her tiptoes with her key chain in hand. She wasn't kidding about the mace either. It was in a bright, lime green container. Her finger rested on the trigger.

Riley let go of Bree's arm, put his hands up in surrender, and backed away from the two girls.

"Okay. I'm letting go. When did you start hanging out with crazy chicks?" Riley asked his girlfriend.

"Since now." Bree put her throbbing arm around Bianca.

"I'm looking for you after the game, Whitlock." He pointed at her, turned, and left.

"Has he always been like that?" Bianca asked.

Her silence answered Bianca's question.

"I've never talked to him that way. He's just pissed," Bree reasoned, giving excuses like she always did for his behavior. She could still feel where he grabbed her arm. He was unusually rough today in a public place. He had a temper, and he wasn't always the nicest to her, but it was always done in private. Bree worried about the bruise that would form from his grasp.

"No, he's just the stereotypical abusive boyfriend. Try to not be alone with him, okay? I don't like him," Bianca said sternly as she glared at Riley retreating figure. Bree didn't like him either. She looked back over the past two years of her life with Riley and realized she had been living a lie. She had been going through the motions, pretending to be in love. What a waste of her time on doing what she was supposed to do.

The two fast friends made their way down the stairs of the library without speaking. Both seemed to be deep in thought. Just before they exited the building, Bree turned to Bianca.

"Thank you. I am glad you were there to help me out."

"I was glad to do it. You deserve better."

"I know," Bree whispered, and then Seth came to mind.

~o~

The Delta meeting had run long. Luckily, she sat at the back and snuck in some texting with Seth. It helped pass the time.

 _What are you doing?_

 _I'm sitting in a stupid sorority meeting. You?_ She hid her phone under the table to type.

 _Nothing. Sitting here with Jared and Embry watching football._

 _I've gotta go to the stupid game tonight._

 _Really?_

 _Yes, really._

 _Then I'll be there too._

A smile crossed Nessie's face. Her day just got a lot better.

 _Text me when you get there. I'll be looking for you._ Her fingers fumbled on the keys as her nerves began to tingle, signaling the excitement she was bound to have.

 _Same here. See you soon. Bye. S_

She squirmed a little in her seat. Even texting Seth made her ache for him. If just a few texts could make her feel this way, how was she going to control herself when she was with him?

~o~

Seth dragged Jared and Embry along with him to the game. The two of them didn't understand why he'd want to leave the Florida game on Eleazar's big, flat-screen TV, but they didn't question their friend. Seth had a chance to be with the girl he cared about, and they wanted him to be happy. Bree seemed to make Seth smile. After his mom's death and the football-scholarship fiasco, Seth deserved some happiness in his life. He offered to pay their way into the game and buy them a few rounds at The Brass Monkey on Friday. How could they refuse such an offer?

He stood underneath the stands, and he had no intention of making his way to a seat.

"You two go ahead. I'll see you in a while," Seth said, not even caring how long he would ditch his friends for a girl.

"Sure. You take your time, lover boy," Jared teased.

"At least one of us is getting some action," Embry exclaimed, elbowing Jared in jest. Seth smiled at his buddies. "I'll see you later. I've got someone to talk to." He waved his phone at them. They got the picture and made their way to their seats.

 _Where are you?_ He texted to Bree.

A reply came just a few seconds later.

 _Section 118. I'm the one in pink, in the middle of all the pledges in pink. So fun!_ He looked around to see which section he was closest to.

 _Meet me at section 120. By the concession stand._

 _Ok. Be there in a minute._

He stood by a door that lay hidden by the concession stand. He watched the crowd for her, and it didn't take long to spot her long, brown hair. His breathing hitched a bit, and he tried to get himself under control. He could already feel his body responding to thoughts of being close to her. His plan was to be alone with her but nothing more. He had to be a gentleman, and the more he said it, the less he believed it.

She spotted him above the crowd. She saw him duck down a short hallway, and she followed. She kind of liked this sneaking around, especially with him.

"Hey, where are we going?" she asked when she made her way to him.

"Nowhere special, but we can be alone together for a while. How does that sound?" He stared at her, forgetting what he was doing.

Bree gave him her dimpled smile. "That sounds nice." Being alone sounded great to her. "How are we getting in there?" She gestured to the locked door in front of them.

He snapped out of his daze and held out a key ring in his large hands. "You forget. I've got a master key to most places here. It's one of the few benefits this job has." A mischievous look crossed his face. She followed him, and he shut the door behind them.

Not even twenty-four hours had passed since they last saw each other, and it felt like an eternity apart. They were glad to be alone together again.


End file.
